Community College of Denver

What is the history of Community College of Denver?

Community College of Denver (CCD) was established in 1967 as a public community college serving Denver-area students. Its development is closely tied to the Auraria Campus, which opened in the 1970s and is shared with Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado Denver.

That shared setting helps explain CCD's identity today: students can pursue community-college credentials in a downtown higher-education environment rather than at an isolated two-year campus. CCD is part of the Colorado Community College System. Its academic offerings have expanded beyond traditional transfer coursework to include career-focused certificates and associate degrees, with instruction also taking place at locations beyond Auraria for certain programs.

What are the faculties and departments at Community College of Denver?

CCD organizes its academics around transfer-oriented studies and career-focused programs rather than a set of graduate schools. Students can pursue associate degrees and certificates in areas including arts and humanities, business, education, health care, information technology, manufacturing, and science.

Program choice matters because credentials serve different purposes. An Associate of Arts or Associate of Science is commonly used to prepare for transfer, while many applied associate degrees and certificates emphasize occupational training. Health and technical programs may have separate prerequisites, clinical requirements, equipment costs, or limited-capacity admission even though CCD has an open-admission policy for the college generally.

Students planning a bachelor's degree should compare the requirements of their intended university major with CCD's current catalog and Colorado's guaranteed-transfer pathways before registering. A course that counts toward an associate degree does not necessarily satisfy every requirement of a particular four-year major.

What is the location of Community College of Denver?

CCD's main campus is on the Auraria Campus in downtown Denver, Colorado. It shares the campus with two four-year public universities, putting classrooms, student services, and the Auraria Library in a dense urban setting.

The location is reachable by Regional Transportation District bus and light-rail service, although the convenience of a commute depends on a student's route and class schedule. Students who drive should account for parking rules and charges; first-year students may park a car on campus, but that is not the same as free or reserved parking. Some specialized programs meet at other CCD locations, so applicants should check where their required classes are actually offered. Denver International Airport is the region's principal commercial airport, but it is not adjacent to campus.

What is the mission and vision of Community College of Denver?

CCD's stated educational purpose centers on access to higher education, student learning, and service to Denver's diverse communities. As a public community college, it offers routes both to further study and to employment-focused credentials.

Those priorities are useful for understanding the institution's program mix, but a mission statement is an expression of institutional aims, not evidence that every student will have the same experience or outcome. CCD has no religious affiliation that defines its curriculum or admission policy.